The CDC’s ‘Flu Ends with U’ Campaign has started and most doctors offices and pharmacies already have the vaccine in stock. It may still be late summer, but this year’s flu vaccine has already arrived — and the CDC wants you to get yours right away. And, that “you” means “everybody.”
For the first time, the seasonal flu vaccine is recommended for all men, women — including pregnant women — and children over age 6 months. Exceptions include only those allergic to eggs or those with other health issues that make vaccination unwise.
And there will be plenty of vaccine out there. Manufacturers tell the CDC they’ll have 170 million doses on hand. They’ve already begun shipping the vaccine across the nation. Here are more details from WebMD:
No, this isn’t about the H1N1 swine flu. That U.S. emergency ended in June, and the World Health Organization this week called off its pandemic alert. This time it’s about seasonal flu, joined but no longer dominated by the 2009 H1N1 swine flu.
Most of us don’t even think about getting our flu shots until we’ve put away our Halloween costumes and have begun to grumble about how malls start decorating for Christmas even before Thanksgiving.
But the CDC this month issued its first flu health advisory of the 2010-2011 season. It warned that the H3N2 flu bug has begun popping up in states across the U.S., including two unrelated outbreaks in Iowa among a college sports team and a day care center.
Children are infamous for catching and spreading the flu, and the school year is already under way in parts of the U.S. The CDC is asking doctors to be on the lookout for flu.
So, if you have not yet gotten this year’s flu shots, now’s the time to seek it out.
Also, you can read my blog,New Flu Shot Guidelines Are Out For Children, here.